2004 Mazda RX8 Reviews - Page 8 of 14

2004 Mazda RX8 from North America

Summary:

"Nasty looking!" :) Reliable, fun, comfortable, a pleasure to drive

Faults:

Two concerns: (1) sun visors hard to remove from secured position. (2) recently, when a wrong-sized tire temporarily replaced the correct-sized tire, a warning light appropriately went o; however, the car, for about 10 seconds, could also not be engaged out of 2nd gear. A Grandma used to say: "These should be your worst problems," especially at 68,000 miles. :)

General Comments:

This car has been a pure joy to ride, especially as my work requires I drive 30,000+ miles yearly.

While it's looks are exceptional and eye-catching, the RX8 provides a quiet, comfortable ride, with especially good lumbar support for long trips.

Space has been optimized: how Mazda got four full-sized adults to fit into such a sleek design, albeit with their "Freestyle" door design, is just short of a miracle.

The instrument panel and lighting are exceptional, compact, easy to read and negotiate.

A car that can be driven either in Manual or Automatic? And be able to change gears with paddle shifters right on the steering wheel!

2nd Jul 2006, 17:39

Actually, both the Z and the RX8 have been tested on the same track with the same driver - they both came out with the same time, despite the 60 hp advantage for the Z. I attribute this to the Z's heavy 3400 weight and the RX8's great balance.

Both cars have their issues. The RX8's engine will flood if you turn it on and off without running the engine, but the 350z has tire cupping problems all the way up to the 2005 model year.

2004 Mazda RX8 230 1.3 Rotory engine from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Faults:

General Comments:

This car really is unique, and is difficult to compare to others... as they don't even come close!

First off... the looks of the RX8 are beautiful, a real head turner.

The best thing about the RX8 is the Renesis Rotory engine, having only 3 moving parts it is extremely silky smooth at any RPM (you often have to check what RPM your doing) and is Very quick, oh and sounds like nothing else.

Now the interior...

The bose sound system is amazingly clear, the leather seats are extremely comfortable, SatNav not only looks brilliant, but is very clever, you could easily compare this car to a lexus for build quality/ comfort and looks great.

This car will not only outrun most cars on the road, but will certainly out-handle prety much anything.

You only need to look at the RPM meter to realize your in a real sports car going up to 10k rpm! You really feel the power when you go above 4k RPM and will be pushed back into your seat when you reach 9k, then your reminded by a nice Beep to change gear. The Gearbox is silky smooth and has a short throw lever.

If I have to mention any bad points about the car it would be:

Fuel consumption (200 miles a tank average)

Oil consumption - you need to check and maybe top up the oil every 2 tanks of petrol

Not much torque below 3-4k RPM.

If you want a true sports car then nothing comes close to this unique car with a science degree on wheels!